Bluebirds

 Although we occasionally see the Western Bluebird on our place, the Mountain Bluebird is much more common. They are usually the heralders of spring and often arrive in flocks of fifty or more as soon as the snow is gone.

For the most part they nest in the nearby sandstone cliffs, but we always seem to have at least one pair that takes up residence in the birdhouse we provide.

I have a feeling this male is trying to convince the female to share his digs!


One of the interesting things about the bluebird is that they seem to change color when the sun is shining on them.

Bald Ridge

 Yesterday we decided to take a few of the llamas on a spring training hike to Bald Ridge. It is a great place to hike with beautiful views. The area is closed until May 1st each year as it is labeled a Critical Big Game Wintering Area. The game in question is primarily elk and we saw a small herd on the flatland on our way to the trailhead as you can see in this photo to the left.  





Once you leave the trailhead the views just keep getting better. I love the look of the red cliffs with he backdrop of snow covered mountains. Too bad we didn't have a blue sky but it was still wonderful to see the area.

This was a training hike in three different ways:

* The length of the hike - about 10 miles
* The elevation change - about 2000' up and the same back down
* The company - two friends accompanied us along with their german shepherd puppy. Dogs are a natural enemy of llamas and it was pretty hard for them to get used to hiking with one. Bill had to stay ahead most of the hike with the puppy on a leash the whole way.

 In this photo you can get a sense of the elevation change.

Our friends are on top with the dog. We tied up the llamas below and then joined them for lunch on high.

The view of Heart Mountain on the return was worth the whole trip!

Survival of the Fittest

Just as the magpies have to worry about a raven swooping in and raiding their nest, so do the ravens have to worry about the biggest bird on our land doing the same to them.

We have been blessed with the presence of at least one pair of magnificent golden eagles since we bought this property many years ago. As each year goes by they seem to be more and more comfortable with sharing the land with us and so I have had multiple photos opportunities. 

These two shots were both taken within the last month. I think I have one of the world's largest collections of golden eagle photos!

Cheeper Peeper

"Cheeper Peeper" is my contribution to the exhibit "Sky-Lines". The show has been traveling but returned yesterday from Denver National Quilt Festival. Next stop for the 21 pieces from 19 artists is the NQA Annual Quilt Show in Columbus, Ohio in mid-June.

Each person received the same sky fabric and then made a quilt in a theme of their choice, with a few rules regarding size. When shown the quilts are all lined up side by side at the horizon or skyline.  The end result is 35' of unique imagery!

Home on the Range

Two members of the family Corvidae that we see a lot of this time of year are the Magpies and the (not so common) Common Ravens.

Among the many differences between the two birds is the way in which they construct their nests. To the left is a typical magpie nest. We have dozens of these around our house and once the babies start hatching - any day now - it will be too noisy to be outside during feeding time!

A magpie nest is a complex tangle of branches formed into a ball with one hidden entrance for the adults to go back and forth. One of the reasons for the secrecy is the danger of losing eggs or chicks to their big brothers, the ravens.

 

A raven nest, on the other hand, even though more open in construction, is rarely seen in the wild. Typically they are very secretive - unlike our resident nesting pair which has built a nest on the side of vertebrae rock just outside our front door.

I have been amazed at how affectionate they have seemed to be; always touching beaks when they are together. Then I watched for a while yesterday and realized it is a more practical action. In fact papa raven seems to be feeding mama raven, allowing her to stay on the nest instead of taking time to hunt for her meals.

Hangin' On

Some day I am going to create a picture book of trees in Wyoming.

 I have been photographing this tree on our property for about 15 years. I cannot believe it not only manages to hang on year after year but actually thrives in its precarious environment!

Moving Up

We are seeing dozens of pronghorn and mule deer moving through our property as they head to higher ground for the summer. Just a few more weeks and we should start to see babies in the groups!